Bathroom accessory



Sept. 14, 1943. A. wALLANcE I BATHROOM ACCESSORY4 ft 1 mw 5 ww m z/ 0 m2 4 4 y 5 2 xn. S T4 ma .F s .a 'AAN /Z 7 W. 7. /f/ 5 aff..

Sept. 14, 1943. A. wALLANYEl l ABATHROOM ACCESSORY 2 sheets-sheet 2Filed Jan. 25, 1941 v nvwsbrrmz.` ON PVLLANCEv Patented Sept. 14, 1943UNITED STATE/s eATeNr oFF-Ice 2,329,563 l i i BATHROOM Acoessonr AaronWallance, Jackson Heights, N. Y.- l Application January ze, 1941, serialNo.' 375,640 1o claims. (C1. 31a-1125)'- This invention relates tobathroom accessories.

the cabinet in such a manner that the throat and bristles of the brushesdo not touch any other object, and are protected against dust andaccidental handling.` Since', they brushes are out of sight within the`cabinet; when not inv use, theA appearance of the bathroom is greatlyimproved.

A further object of this invention is to provide an accessory or unitof, the character described, which combines in one unit the functions ofa tumbler holdenbrush holderl and soap holder, y,

providing facilities for storing objects relating to tooth brushes, suchas tooth powder container and tooth paste tube, taking these articlesout of thev medicine cabinet Where ,they are usually placed, andA thusaffording more room in the medicine cabinet, and affording theconvenience of having all the articles relating to the use of toothbrushes in one unit.

Yet a further object of this invention `is to provide a cabinet of the,character described provided with louvres and openingsto` permitcirculation of airA within` the cabinet, even when the cabinet isclosed. and provided` furthermore with hooks on which to hang toothbrushes, the hooks being ,crooked or bent to prevent the brushes fromaccidentally slipping. off the hooks; and said brushes being` mounted ona door of theY cabinet normally inclined when closed and provided with aseparator wall' formed with notches to receive the throat portionsy ofthe brushes and to raise the brushes away from the inclined walls, so asto keep the brushes out of contact with respect to the wall, the doorbeing swingable downwardly to open position presenting the tooth brushesthereon withinv easy reach for removal when the door isopened.

Still a further object of this invention is to provide a cabinet, theinterior of which is arranged to give the maximum'of space for turnbler,tooth paste tube and vother articles, being provided with shelves at twolevelsy to support objects of different heights, and bei-ng furtherprovided with a Wedge shaped notch in which .a tooth paste tube or othertube, may be .supported in upstanding position, so that itis readilyaccessible for removall and occupies, a rriiiirxiurrlzk 0f space withinthe cabinet; one of the Ashelves i111*- thermore beine deeper than.theeother shelf' S0 that the relatively shorter and deepertumbler maybe supported Onthe deenerfshelf, and-the longer andnarrower toothpowder; canl may be supported on the lower shelf, which, is. not as deepor wide as the upper shelf. 2 n c Yet a further object of this inventionis to provide in a cabinet of the character'described,

ai doorV provided with ai handle which alsoservesA kas a localized placeforf'pushing againstI when closing the doorg-the kdoor furthermore beingprovided With ribs increasing in width toward vthe topvto meet thehandle, and beingl continuous down to the lower end of tl'ledoor`forminghearings to receive the pivot shafts .for the door.-

A still further object o f thisv invention` is to provide a cabinet.provided with a doorfhinged at its lowerv end and; beingk inclinedupwardly and forwardly, thus dividing the generally prisvmatic cabinetinto twoy spaces, one being an interior space for receiving the toothbrushesctuin- Vbler, tooth paste tube, tooth powder canfeto., the otherbeing an exposed 'space' serving: for

storage of soap, the soap being SupportedA on1 an exposed shelf at thelower yendof thecabinet` and below the inclined door; the inclineddoorfur- Athermorev being spaced fromv and parallel tothe frontforwardly and upwardly inclined surface of the shelves, thus producingka space ofg lsubstan-y tially constant width between the-shelves and thedoor toY receive the lower ends-'of the-headsof the brushes mounted onthe door. The door vis mounted on spring hinges adapted to absorb theshock or deaden; the fall of the door'when the same isswungjdownwardlyto open position, and also kactingvas a stopY to limitthe opening movement Vof the jdoor. By -inclining the door on which thebrushes are mounted, the brushes rest on the separator fixed tothe doorand do not dangle or move about when mounted on the` door. Thefhooks onwhich the brushes-are mounted on the door support the brushes sideways,with the nat of the tooth brush handles atright angles to the plane ofthe door, so that the handles are in position for natural grasp of thefingers when the door. is swung downwardly or opened, and the handlespoint toward the user Where they may be more easilygrasped.

Yet a further object of this invention-is to provide a strong, compact`and durable unit of the character described,y which shall reduce thecost of installation by combining in one device thev functions ofseveral devices usually nowsepa.-

vupper shelf I'l and a lower shelf I8.

rately installed in a bathroom; which shall be relatively inexpensive tomanufacture, easy to manipulate, sanitary in use, attractive inappearance, and yet practical and efficient to a high degree.

Other objects of this invention will in part be obvious and in part;hereinafter pointed out.

The invention accordingly consists in the features of construction,combinations of elements, and arrangement of parts which will beexemplified in the construction hereinafter described, and of which thescope of application will b indicated in the following claims. Q

In the accompanying drawings, in which is shown one of the variouspossible illustrative embodiments of this invention,

Fig. 1 is a front elevational view of a wall cabinet embodying theinvention;

Fig. 2 is an enlarged, cross-sectional View taken on line 2 2 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken on line 3-3 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 Ais a cross-sectional view taken on line 4-4 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 5 is a cross-sectional View taken on line 5 5 of Fig. 2; and

Fig.l 6 is an inside elevational view of the door.

Referring now in detail to the drawings,l Il designatesl a bathroomaccessory embodying the invention, in the form of 'a cabinet or unitmounted within a wall I I of the bathroom. The cabinet I comprises acase I2 to which there is hinged in the manner hereinafter appearing, adoor I4. v The case' I2 comprises a rear wall I5, from vwhich thereextends forwardly a top wall I6.

Extending forwardly from the rear wall I is an The shelves I'I and I8are disposed side by side with a vertical wall I9 between the two,extending upwardly from the bottom shelf and extending to the uppershelf. lFxtending downwardly from the shelf Il, Vis a downwardly andrearwardly inclined wall 20.

Extending downwardly from wall 20 and from shelf I8 forwardly curvedwall 22 from the lower end of which there extends downwardly a somewhatrearwardly inclined wall 23, the lower-end lof which is curvedforwardly, as at 24, and from which there extends forwardly a horizontalbottom shelf or wall .26. f

Interconnecting the top wall I5, the rear wall I 5 the shelves I'l and I8, wallsv 22 'and 23 and the bottom wall 26, are parallel, vertical sidewalls 29.

It will be noted that the bottom wall 26 projects further out from thebathroom wall I I than the top wall I6. The top wall I 6 is providedwith an upwardly and rearwardly curved flange I6a contacting the frontsurface of bathroom wall I I. The wall or shelf 26 is provided with adownwardly and rearwardly curved flange 26a contacting the frontsurfaceof the bathroom wall I I. The side walls 29 are provided withoutwardly and rearwardly curved walls 29a contacting the front surfaceof the bathroom wall I I. The front edges of the side walls 29 areinclined upwardly and rearwardly because the bottom wall or shelf 26projects further out from the front surface of the bathroom wall thanthe top wall I6, thus increasing. thewidth ofv said bottom wall andmaking it easier to clean the same. Said wall 26 may be formed with aseries of ridges 2Gb and serves as a soap tray or shelf.

Wall 22 is formed with two parts of integral forwardly projectingaligned lugs 33 formed with bearing openings 33a to support a pair oftransverse aligned shafts 35, on which the door I4 is hingedly mounted,as will appear hereinafter.

InterconnectinfT each pair of lugs is a stop wall 5 or web 40, for thepurpose hereinafter appearing.

The case I2 may be xed to the bathroom wall II by means of screws 4Ipassing through suitable openings in the top wall I 6, the screw beingl0 adapted to be screwed into the studs in the bathroom wall. The flange26a furthermore may be formed with an inclined opening ll5 through whicha screw 46 may be screwed into the bathroom wall in an upwardly andrearwardly inclined position.

The walls 22 and Z3 may be provided with exterior ribs 46 to strengthenthe same if desired.

Thedoor I4 is hinged on the shafts 35. Said v door comprises a fiat wallportion 5G. The door I4 is inclined forwardly and upwardly and attachedto the upper end thereof, as by rivet 54, is a spring catch 55 adaptedtoengage a detent or lug 56 at'the forward end ofthe top wall I6. The lug56 may be in the form of a screw or insert attached to the top wall I5.Door I4 has cut-outs 33h to receive lugs 33.

The central portion of the upper end of the door is thickened, as at 5l,to provide a handle, said portion being formed with a downwardlyextending lip Sla adapted to be engaged by the ingers of a personopening the door. The handle portion 5l do-es not extend the full widthof the door, and at the outer ends thereof, are parallel downwardlyextending ribs 58 decreasing in Width from the upper to the lower ends,the lower ends 5I of said ribs being formed with bearing openings 52through which shafts 35 pass to pivot the door to said shafts. f

The door wall 50 is formed with a plurality of transverse opening orlouvres 59, to permit circulation of air within the cabinet.

It will be noted that there is aspace between the lower end of the doorand the wall 22, also permitting circulation of air within the cabinet.Attached to the inside of the door, adjacent the upper end thereof, is atransverse horizontal metal strip 6D preferably embedded within a groovein the door, and attached to said strip are a plurality of hooks `62, onwhich toothbrushes may be hung. The hooks 62 each comprise a portion 62aextending inwardly at right angles to the door,v and a crooked orupwardly bent portion 62o disposed in a plane parallel to the door. Thetooth brushes may be hung on the hooks by passing the hook portions 62bthrough the usual openings in the handles of the brushes.

On the inside of the door wall 50, and disposed below the hooks andparallel thereto, is a separator rib or wall 65, formed with a pluralityof notches 66 aligned with the hooks 62. The notches 66 are of lessheight than vthe height of the rib, so that the handle portions of thebrushes contact the bottoms of the notches and are held away fromcontact with respect to the inner surface of the door wall 5Il.Furthermore, the at handles of the toothbrushes are supported by thehooks in planes perpendicular to the door, so that when the door isswung downwardly, the brushes will be in position to be easily graspedby the user for removal. The separator rib 65, thus separates thebrushes from one another and keeps the bristles fromcontact with anypart of the cabinet.

It will be noted that the wall 20 at the front of the shelves isinclined forwardly and upwardly,

alega-'see substantially paralllltotiie door, thus prviiingj spa'czoa ersupstarltiallyconstaht widtlito' ce'ifve the heads of the brushes.

Means: is provided to Vabscr'lzi the shock and deade'n theopenir'i'gr'novemer'itof the door, and limit'..b'penirig` movement of ithe do'onw Tcithis end,'the'r'e isv mounted on .each of' theshafts 35,'a torsion spring 'Ill hal/"ingy one arm-'H attache 'to a rivet 12 on asecond arm v'I3 projecting rearwardly and dis-V po'sdbelow the web Ml,when the ,doorv is closed; Upon swinging the door downwardly, the arms'lwill move upwardly into Contactv with'V the step webs All'. yIf the'door is pulled forwardly to r'- lease the springcatch and then allowed'to dre-p; the torsion springs will deaden'the fall 'and also limit the'opening movement of ther door' to such pOSiitI'l tllat*the` S-p` shelfwill Still" b exposedand withinaccess of the'user'.

The wail lc is formed with a wedge shaped depressed recess 18a' `inwhich the bottom end of a tooth paste tube may be wedged, as shown inFig. 3 ofthe drawings.. i i f It will nOtV be 11h erst/06d thaty thetooth-- brushes are stored in such a manner that vthe throats andbristles (1o-riotv touch any other obejects and are enclosed andprotected against dust and accidental handling. Furthermore, theappearance of the bathroom is improved-by' taking the tooth brushes outof sight. Furthermore, the functions of the usual tumbler holder, toothholder and soap holder are corribined in one unit; Theiinprovedunitffurthermore provides facilities for storing objectsrelating'lto tooth brushes,l such as tooth powder container and 'toothpaste tubejtaking such objects out of the medicine cabinet, so as togive more' ron'i in the medicine cabinet, and Agiving an additionalycc'n'vel'riience resulting fr'or'n having all the articles relating tobrushing ofjt'eeth inoneunit.

Circulation of air in the cabinet is provided by two louvres in thefront wall and by openings in the bottorn of thedoor. When the door isswung downwardly, the tooth brushes thereon are within easy reach forremoval. The inside of the cabinet is arranged to give maximum of spacefor tumbler, tooth paste tube or other articles. Two levels of shelvesare provided. 'I'he upper shelf is deeper and higher to receive theshorter and wider tumbler; and the lower shelf is narrow blut givesgreater space to receive the taller tooth powder can. The wedge shapednotch IBa permits standing up of the tooth paste tube so that it isreadily accessible for removal and occupies a minimum of space.

The handle on the door also serves as a localized place for pushingagainst when closing the door. The inclined door divides thesubstantially prismatic cabinet into two spaces, one being a closedinterior space and the other being an outside space for soap.Furthermore, the inclination of the door stabilizes the support of thebrushes which do not dangle, but rest on the separator. Placing of theribs 58 on the outside of the door gives more room on the inside of thecabinet. The inclination of the side walls of the cabinet makes formaximum space within the cabinet and places the soap dish or tray orshelf further out and within easy reach and easy to clean.

It will bey noted furthermore that the cabinet is attached to thebathroom Wall in such a way as to permit easy removal, as the cabinetdoes not have to be cemented within the wall` When the inside ofthe'door, and having .greater depth to the shelves. By combiiiihg'irito e`to teni wall zsfwnich yforms; the soap mamme-la slopes Slightly'qtwawarlly tothe rearin order to'lprvent soap!A dripping's' Vfromvruiii'ilgout deer tnrrntof'theunit. As a is necessary to give' all orthe walls' Y j pralllt thebottoihwall, the saine 'slipeinorder'ft'oavoidia'n undercut inthe mold. It will thus be s'ee that there isprovideda devic iii-which th''sevral' objects of this irivei'ltidnv are'achieved, and which is well adapted to' moet the coiidit'iiihs'f'practical use.

various possible embodiments might` be made' 'of the above invention,and as various changes' might be 'iliade the el'ibodimeht above's'e'twfo' lig'it isD tc` be understood that all 4` ein-set forth 'ci'shown in the accoinpanyin drawings istobe interpreted asillustrativearid l'ot in'1a"liinitirig sense.

Although the cabinet hasbceri disclosedfiereih as a separate' uriit,`itis understood that the sa `r`fr 1e'v may ybl'pa-rt "offrirY incorporatedwith' a medicine cabinet, washstar'id; div otherbath'roor fixtures Y. lHaving thus7 descrlbed'my invention,` I" claim as new and desire t'o'secure by Letters Patent: 1. A cabinet having a back" walkv a pair ofshelves yat. different levels extending-'1 forwardly of'sa'idbackl-wall,saidsh'elves being of different depths,` atop-'wall' and sidewallsexten-ding forwardly-of saidb'a'ck wall', a'wa'll extending downwardlybelow' sai'd shelves, a bottom wall extendin-gwforwardly from 'sal-Cllast veel,` a door hing-aly amt-s lower and tlew'sal Shelves andabfovesald hmmm-wall; 'ana at the for'- ward end of said tet' walltoengage the upper end'of said deer' t@ y-retarri'f th cl'o'r vin closedcondition?, :saidY bo'ttbl wall being exposed and said shelves enclosedwhen the door is closed, said door being inclined forwardly and upwardlywhen closed, and said bottom wall extending further forwardly than saidtop wall.

2, A unit of the character described comprising a cabinet having ahorizontal shelf and a front door hinged at its lower end to the cabinetbelow said shelf and being inclined forwardly and upwardly when closed,hooks on the inside of the door adjacent its upper end, and a, separatoron the inside of the door having notches aligned with said hooks.

3. A unit of the character described comprising a cabinet having ahorizontal shelf and a front door hinged at its lower end to the cabinetbelow said shelf and being inclined forwardly and upwardly when closed,hooks on the inside of the door` adjacent its upper end, and

a separator on the inside of the door having notches aligned with saidhooks, the bottoms of said notches being spaced from the inner surfaceof the door.

4. A unit of the character described comprising a cabinet having ahorizontal shelf and a front door hinged at its lower end to the cabinetbelow said shelf and being inclined for- Wardly and upwardly whenclosed, hooks on the inside of the door adjacent-its upperl end, and aseparator on the inside of the door having notches aligned with saidhooks, the bottoms of said notches being spaced from the inner surfaceof the door, the hinge connection for the door providing spaces topermit circulation of air into the cabinet.

5. A unit of the character described comprising a cabinet having a frontdoor hinged at its lower end to the cabinet and being inclined forwardlyand upwardly when closed, hooks on the inside of the door adjacent itsupper end, and a separator on the inside of the ldoor having notchesaligned with said hooks.

6. A unit of the character described comprising a cabinet having ahorizontal shelf and a front door hinged at its lower end to the cabinetbelow said shelf and being inclined forwardly A and upwardly whenclosed, hooks on the inside of the door adjacent its upper end, and aseparator on the inside 0f the door having notches aligned with saidhooks, the bottoms of said notches Abeing spaced from the inner surfaceof the door, the hinge connection for the door providing spaces topermit circulation of air into the cabinet, and said door being providedwith ventilating louvres, said hooks each including a portionperpendicular to the door and a portion ex.- tending from the firstportion and being bent upwardly at its free end.

7. A bathoroom accessory comprising a cabinet adapted to be mounted on abathroom wall, the cabinet being open at the front and provided with adoor hinged to the cabinet above the bottom of the cabinet andrearwardly of the front open end of the cabinet, said door beinginclined upwardly and forwardly when closed, dividing the cabinet into arear closed portion and a front exposed portion, the exposed portionincluding a bottom wall on which to place soap, and the enclosed portionincluding a horizontal shelf on which to place articles to be used with`tooth brushes, and said door having means on the inside thereof tosupport tooth brushes in such position that when the door is swung down,the handles will project forwardly.

8. A bathroom accessory comprising a cabinet adapted to be mounted on abathroom wall, the

cabinet being open at the front and provided with a door hinged to thecabinet above the bottom of the cabinet and rearwardly of therfront openend of the cabinet, said door being inclined upwardly and forwardly whenclosed, dividing the cabinet into a rear closed portion and a frontexposed portion, the exposed portion including a bottom wall on which toplace soap, and the enclosed portion including a horizontal shelf onwhich to place articles to be used with tooth brushes, and said doorhaving means on the inside thereof to support tooth brushes, said shelf,y being formed with a front wall inclined forwardly and upwardlyforming, with the door, a space to receive the lower ends of toothbrushes mounted on the door.

9. A bathroom accessory comprising a cabinet adapted to be mounted on abathroom wall, the cabinet being open at the front and provided with adoor hinged to the cabinet above the bottom wall of the cabinet andrearwardly of the front open end of the cabinet, said door beinginclined upwardly and forwardly when closed, dividing the cabinet into arear closed portion and a front exposed portion, the exposed portionincluding a bottom wall on which to place soap, and the enclosed portionincluding a horizontal shelf on which to place articles to be used withtooth brushes, and said door having means on the inside thereof tosupport tooth brushes, said door having an opening to permit circulationof air into the cabinet with the door closed.

10. A unit of the character described comprising a cabinet adapted to bebuilt into a bathroom Wall and having a front door hinged at its lowerend, and being inclined forwardly and upwardly in its closed position.means on the inside of the door tosupport a plurality of tooth brusheswith the flat sides of the handles of the tooth brushes Ain parallelplanes perpendicular to the plane of the door, and with the handles ofthe tooth brushes pointing forwardly when the door is swung down to openposition, separator means on the door to retain the tooth brushesagainst side movement and including means to retain the tooth brushesfrom contacting the door.

AARON WALLANCE.

